Quick As A Cat

A Yo! Sushi restaurant has just opened near where I live; I cannot even tell you how happy this makes me as I LOVE sushi and up to now Hubby & I have had to travel quite a distance to get to our nearest Sushi restaurant! This fact, combined with the elusive British Summer sun making a very welcome appearance, made for a fantastic night out with lovely friends!

For our first evening at our new local Yo! Sushi I went for a comfortable, simple Summer look. I wore a fantastic pair of Charley 5.0 leopard print denim running style shorts. I bought these in two different sizes (from The Raw Denim Bar) as they can be styled completely differently depending on the fit. 

I paired them with a very cool Zoe Tees vintage t-shirt in ivory from Donna Ida, who have the best selection of t-shirts you'll ever find under one roof. I love the sexy cut out detail on the shoulder of this great tee, it makes a very casual piece feel a little bit more glamorous. To add a slightly more dressed up feel I added my favourite studded Christian Louboutin shoes.

I then proceeded to eat my body weight in sushi (thank goodness for an elasticated waistband!) and a top night was had by all!

Get The Look:

Shorts: Charley 5.0 'Quick as a Cat' Denim Shorts

T-shirt: Zoe Tee's Vintage Cut-out Detail Tee

Shoes: Christian Louboutin Studded 'Pigalle' Shoes

Kiss Me Kate

Project D's website says that they design 'beautiful dresses to make every woman feel beautiful', & it's true, they do. 

My most recent Project D purchase was an incredible bargain; the beautiful 'Kate' dress was reduced in their end of season sale from £375 to a bargainlicious £75!! I snapped it up! The dress was a little too long for me so I sent it to my then trusty Tailor for alteration. I actually cried when he returned it to me; he had absolutely butchered it and the hem was all kinds of different lengths! It was incredibly shabby work for such a simple alteration but thankfully a new, highly recommended Tailor came to the rescue and managed to fix it. It's a little shorter than I'd originally wanted it to be but thank goodness it's still wearable! 

It was the colour and beautiful floral print that first attracted me to this lovely dress. It's proved to be a very popular combination as there are two other completely different style dresses available from Project D in the same gorgeous colour/print. Pippa Middleton, sister of Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, was recently spotted wearing the fabulous 'Elle' maxi version to a Wedding and she looked incredible!

This navy printed silk tea dress immediately makes you feel lady-like while the deep plunging neckline ensures you always have a cheeky twinkle in your eye! I teamed it for a night out, with Christian Louboutin 'Very Prive'  black peep-toe shoes & some silver Tiffany trinkets for a cute, girlie look.  

Get The Look:

Dress: Project D 'Kate' Dress

Shoes: Christian Louboutin 'Very Prive' Peep-toe Shoes in black

All Silver Jewellery: Tiffany & Co

Opy

This look is quite literally my Summer uniform! I have this gorgeous silk Winter Kate bed jacket in pretty much every colour-way it comes in & I wear them constantly, with shorts, dresses, jeans, skirts; oh I love my 'Opy' jacket!

I stumbled across these denim shorts in Zara years ago & I have worn them every Summer since then. The older & more distressed they get, the better they look and feel. I can't even remember when & where I got the old Levi belt, I bought it at least 15 years ago & like the shorts, it just gets better with age.

My white tee is from Whistles & it is the one all my friends know as the infamous 'street' t-shirt! In short, I asked my Hubby to buy it for me and he finally gave in to my eyelash fluttering & begging, but with a condition! From the moment I entered the store I had to carry out the entire transaction in 'street' talk, with every sentence ending in the word 'blud'! No mean feat with my hybrid Irish/Surrey accent!

Well, I got my tee (innit blud) but we both left the store on our hands and knees, weak with laughter, tears streaming down our faces! "You might want to rehearse a bit more next time", the bemused shop girl called after us! 

Get The Look:

Jacket: Winter Kate 'Opy' Jacket in wildwood green

T-shirt: Whistles seam back tee in white

Shorts: Zara Denim Shorts (similar)

Belt: Vintage Levi Leather Belt (similar)

Boots: Ash 'Jalouse' Ankle Boots

Hello Sailor!

The nautical trend reappears season after season. And it's no wonder: a navy & white nautical stripe is a great way to achieve a simple, fresh Summer look.

I went for a very feminine approach to the trend here, wearing a beautiful silk dress by my favourite New Zealand Designer Karen Walker. The navy blue & crisp white stripes look clean, chic & classic! I paired them with a very neutral, tan coloured sandal from Reiss.

Staying faithful to the trend, I finished the look off with a bright red MAC lipstick from their Hey! Sailor limited edition range. Even the gorgeous packaging is right on trend!

Get The Look:

Dress: Karen Walker 'Statue' Dress (similar)

Shoes: Reiss 'Cedar' Sandals (similar)

Lipstick: MAC Hey! Sailor Lipstick in 'Red Racer'

Alter Ego

I recently had a very special gig with my band Alter Ego! We spend most of our time playing at private functions around the Country but this gig was a very rare public showcase.  Friends & family came to cheer us on & we had an awesome night rocking out at the most stunning venue, Lythe Hill Hotel & Spa in the beautiful Surrey Countryside. 

I changed outfits twice before I even walked onstage but I finally ended up wearing a beautiful BCBGMAXZRIA strapless dress. It's an old gig faithful & will probably be worn until it falls apart! The dress has a flattering black net waistband, a short pleat skirt that has just the right amount of fullness and a playful ruffle and rosette applique detail at the front. I love the rich cream colour and the soft metallic shimmer that catches the lights so beautifully when I wear it onstage.

I wore it with towering patent nude heels, my ever present Tiffany trinkets and some fierce red lipstick by MAC (the best red lipstick I've ever used!).

Get The Look: 
Dress: BCBGMAXAZRIA quilted jaquard strapless dress in cream (similar)
Shoes: Geri for Next nude patent platform shoes (similar)
Jewellery: Tiffany & Co Elsa Peretti necklace, earrings and charm bracelet
Lipstick: MAC 'Ruby Woo' matt red lipstick
Gig Photos: Phill Griffith and David Dodwell-Bennett

Hardy Girl

The 'Hardy' denim romper was the standout piece for me in the Twenty8twelve S/S12 collection. The light blue, sun bleached wash gives the playsuit a very 80s feel, which I love. It features a comfy elasticated waist, long sleeves with button cuffs, two front flap pockets, a cute mandarin collar & two side seam pockets. The day I went into London to buy it I actually received an email from Twenty8twelve giving me 50% discount in the store... RESULT!

For a fresh, girly look I paired the romper with the cutest shoes I own; my monochrome Chanel Mary-Jane's! I bought these beauties years ago when I spied Pop Princess Kylie Minogue wearing them in a magazine. I am absolutely besotted with them!

I accessorised with beautiful jewellery from Links of London; their iconic sweetie bracelet and a treasured charm bracelet. The charm bracelet is particularly special to me as some of the most important & beloved people in my life bought the charms for me over time, including my wonderful Mum (my original Style Icon!). The Two Magpies charm was the very last present she bought me before she lost her brave battle with breast cancer. "Two for Joy" because her name was Joyce and she was, right up to the very end, one of the most joyful people I have ever had the pleasure to have known. 

Get The Look:

Playsuit: Twenty8twelve 'Hardy' Denim Romper

Shoes: Chanel Monochrome Mary-Jane Pumps (similar)

Bracelet: Links of London Charm Bracelet

It's A Wang World

Alexander Wang is one of my favourite high-end Fashion Designers of all time! His typical look is often described as 'off duty model'. I can only attempt to pull off my own interpretation of this; the 'off duty anti-model'!

Alexander Wang originally caught my attention with one beautiful little white dress from his very first collection. It was called the 'Goddess' dress and I wanted it so much. But everyone else on the planet also wanted it and I didn't stand a chance; it sold out everywhere. 

I never did get the little white dress but I have made up for it by buying a few other dresses from his various collections in this signature style; a black sleeveless version, a white one shoulder version, a black one shoulder version, a dramatic navy sequin version & this gorgeous, one sleeve version in the most amazing eggplant colour! All have the same figure hugging, sexy shape with dramatic Grecian Goddess style draping.

I have a gorgeous MAC lipstick called 'Red Dwarf' that matches the dress perfectly (it is my current favourite lipstick) and I finished off the look with the coolest peep-toe wedges, also by Alexander Wang. Oh yes, did I mention he designs shoes? And bags? The man will be responsible for bankrupting me. But what a way to go!

Dress: Alexander Wang One-sleeved 'Goddess' Dress in eggplant (similar)

Shoes: Alexander Wang 'Alla' Peep-toe Wedges in black (similar)

Lipstick: MAC Pro Longwear Lipcreme in 'Red Dwarf'

Back In Black

In true British Summer style, the weather here in dear ol' Blighty has taken quite a turn for the worse! The shorts & flip flops have been discarded and coats & jackets hastily retrieved from storage.

We went out for dinner the other night & the Summer sky was heavy with dark threatening clouds; it felt right to wear an all black ensemble. I wore my favourite Kymerah silk top with Sass & Bide ruched leggings and towering Topshop shoe boots. 

To keep out the Summer chill I added a dramatic black hooded cape. This gorgeous black knit cape by Kymerah features leather detail pockets and a fantastic zipper hoodie. I feel like a cool, modern day Red Riding Hood every time I wear it!

Get The Look:

Cape: Kymerah black knit & leather detail 'Lara' cape (similar)

Top: Kymerah 'Avila' silk top 

Leggings: Sass & Bide 'Black Rat' leggings (similar)

Boots: Topshop 'Adina' shoe boots (similar)